Saturday, September 27, 2008

I'm probably one of the only few remaining food blogger who hasn't attempt the VGT Omnivore's Hundred quiz yet, so I thought I'd do it now (and I encourage my two 'bosses' Cla & Moo Moo to attempt it as well at some point) - it's a fun quiz!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Omnivore's Hundred, permit me to explain - the VGT Omnivore's Hundred list is a wonderful list developed by famed English food bloggers Jill & Andrew of verygoodtaste.co.uk. The list consists of a hundred food & drink items that every gourmets & gourmands should try before they die. I think it's a wonderful list covering many cuisines and I can think but very few other things to add to the list - it's quite perfect the way it is. Maybe someday eatlikeacow will attempt to construct our own version of such list.

You're supposed to count how many items you have consumed in the past, and the more you've eaten the better, of course.

In the meantime, here's the list - complete with some anecdotes and jolly fun snippets of experiences regarding items I have consumed in the past. Enjoy!

Instructions from VGT:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison-> Once, in Belgium. I was on a tourist sightseeing bus travelling from the Netherlands to France, and on the way we stopped at this amazingly large & grand but rather dilapidated restaurant (I think it's called restaurant Louis something...XIV? XV? whatever) in the middle of absolutely nowhere in Belgium. (the restaurant was like an abandoned chateau!) I was only 11 then, and I insisted on ordering something that you'd never find in Indonesia - ergo the venison. Didn't like it that much at that time, though LOL)

2. Nettle tea

3. Huevos rancheros-> Before googling it, I actually didn't know what huevos rancheros is - but YES, turned out I have eaten this for breakfast before - at "La Cantina" in Hotel Santa Fe in Disneyland Paris in 1997!

4. Steak tartare-> Again, in Belgium - not in the same year as the venison experience, though. It was at a buffet, and at first I thought that they're supposed to cook it after I took the dish (a la hotel omelet stations) LOL but my dad told me that it's supposed to be raw and discouraged me from eating it (looks like dog's food, he said). Being a rebel, of course I ate some of it - with disastrous result. I was 13, and It was the first time I ate completely raw beef.

5. Crocodile-> Yes, on a buffet in Sydney Tower revolving restaurant in 1998. All I can say is, EW.

6. Black pudding

7. Cheese fondue-> We used to have fondue nights on my grandmother's place in the 1990s. Various dietary restrictions made her eradicate fondue nights around 1997 and she died 7 years later. (yeah, like that has anything to do with fondue, LOL)

8. Carp-> Yes. Carp is actually quite common food in Indonesia.

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush-> Ate it at Anatolia, a Middle-Eastern restaurant in Kemang, Jakarta a couple of years ago.

11. Calamari-> Anyone who lives in Sydney and hasn't eaten calamari is a freak of nature.

12. Pho-> Same thing as above.

13. PB&J sandwich-> Staple food. Although it's quite interesting to note that Indonesians in general aren't familiar with the idea of mixing jam and peanut butter. It's more like 'either/or' over there.

14. Aloo gobi

15. Hot dog from a street cart-> Had some in New York City. Actually, It's one of the highlights of my visit. Ate falafel from a cart in NYC, too.

16. Epoisses

17. Black truffle-> I had these several times, but the highlight was when I had a degustation at Gaddi's in Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. It was served with scallops.

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes-> Numerous times, especially when I went on one of those so-called must-experience wine tours of Australia. My favorite was pear wine.

19. Steamed pork buns-> Being Asian, also a staple. A memorable one would be by Teck Kee Tanglin Pau in Singapore (steamed pork buns with eggs! Yahoo!) and of course the Buta-man from the Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan.

31. Wasabi peas-> Yayy!! favorite exam-cramming snack during good ol' school days in Singapore.

32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl-> Of course! It's pretty common in Singapore...

33. Salted lassi-> Ew. hate lassi. But yes, I had some.

34. Sauerkraut-> Occasionally cooked by my dear mother.

35. Root beer float-> One of my two favorite childhood drink, especially the ones from A&W. The other one being Sarsi (Common in Singapore but never really available in Indonesia - but since I frequently jet back-and-forth to Singapore ever since I was a baby, I never miss my Sarsi).

36. Cognac with a fat cigar-> Believe it or not, YES. It was during my 'acting-like-an-English-aristocrat' wannabe period (around middle school, when I was 13 or 14). I stole the cognac from my dad's bar cabinet, and brought it to my friend Michael's house - his dad has lots of expensive Cuban cigars. We even donned maroon robes and sat by a faux fireplace in his house while his parents were away. (at some point, we attempted to play Mozart's Piano quartet in G - Allegro, our favorite piece of chamber music. We played horribly - I on the Piano and him on Viola. LOL. Michael is my fellow English aristocrat wannabe. LOL. Of course, I choked when I smoked that cigar - and I will still choke now, probably.

37. Clotted cream tea-> No. Rich enough to clot your arteries? LOL

38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O-> Who hasn't. Had it the first time at high school, when we celebrated a football victory. I have no idea about football whatsoever, but I sure had lots of Jell-O shots!

39. Gumbo-> Nope. Probably The only common southern (USA) food I've never tasted.

40. Oxtail-> Yes. Oxtail soup is common in Indonesia. I don't like oxtail, not even a bit.

42. Whole insects-> NEVER WILL! Not even those fried mantis they fancy so much in Thailand!

43. Phaal

44. Goat’s milk-> Yes. Had to consume goat's milk for a period of time when I was a kid for medical purposes.

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more-> Yes. First experience was Johnnie Walker Blue Label stolen from my dad's bar cabinet around my English aristocrat wannabe period (see no. 36) when I was about 13.

46. Fugu-> YES. In Seoul a few years ago. I was so scared!

47. Chicken tikka masala-> As a matter of fact, just had some a few days ago - from my favorite Indian takeaway in Leichhardt (Sydney). I'm not a big fan of Indian food, though. Just occasionally.

48. Eel-> Yup. Both Unagi (freshwater eel) and Anago (seawater).

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut-> To the point of sickness. I'm actually in a Krispy Kreme hiatus because last time, I had so much that I had a baddd stomach upset.

50. Sea urchin-> It's cute, lovely, and delicious! Especially when served in its shell or in gunkan sushi!

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi-> I've had pretty much anything that can be made out of ume. Umeboshi, ume-shu, ume sauces, etc etc.

53. Abalone-> Don't even consider yourself a Chinese if you haven't had Abalone. (unless you can't afford it, heehee). The most memorable one would be a mighty expensive ezoawabi (I shudder to mention the price) at Ah Yat Abalone Forum in Jakarta. (air-flown from Tsukiji in Tokyo!)

54. Paneer-> Yes, Thanks to my high school residence housemistress Mrs. Panickar who made a mean Paneer Tikka. Just love it!

55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal-> What I would order 80% of the time when dining at McDo.

57. Dirty gin martini-> What I would order 50% of the time in bars. I love normal martini, but lately, munching on the olives are barely enough to satisfy my palate, hence I always order dirty martini.

61. S’mores-> Yes, but not those campfire ones, mind you (only been camping TWICE in my lifetime) - I've only had Hershey's s'mores...LOL...hope that counts.

62. Sweetbreads

63. Kaolin

64. Currywurst-> Never had some, but I would LOVE to, though!! I adore all type of wurst!!

65. Durian-> Don't call yourself a Southeast Asian when you haven't tasted this King of all fruits. I've eaten (and loved) anything that can be made from Durians - from the fruit itself (Thai Monthong, Chanee, Very bitter and alcoholic Indonesian ones, Malaysian D24, D99, until the ridiculously expensive Mao Shan Wang, you name it, I've eaten it) to durian products ranging from fried durian, durian cheesecakes, mooncakes, ice cream, cakes, shaved ice, dodol (like a taffy), until the seldom heard but always popular 'kinca duren' (an Indonesian sweet durian sauce for many purposes, mainly for dessert or to be eaten with bread). I'm a durian fanatic!

66. Frogs’ legs-> A family favorite. Especially the 'saklon' (stone creek frogs) - a dish popular in the Hakka-Chinese Indonesian community, but getting more and more rare nowadays.

67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake-> Of course. First churros experience was on a California Churros cart in Jakarta.

68. Haggis-> I would LOVE some, someday.

69. Fried plantain

70. Chitterlings, or andouillette

71. Gazpacho-> My mom, back then when she was an enthusiastic cook, had a Mexican craze period when basically all she feed the family is Tex-Mex food all the time. Gazpacho is one of the dishes she made every now and then. I miss my mom's Tex-Mex food...

72. Caviar and blini-> I literally stuffed my stomach with Beluga caviar without even knowing how expensive those stuff are and I didn't even have to pay a cent for them. It was around 10 years ago - one of my uncles who worked in a Governmental Import-Export business seized some illegally traded Iranian Beluga. He took one big crate with him - probably around 10 kilos or so (that much beluga caviar would cost around USD 20,000 these days) and gave around half of it to my family. Look, I know that beluga is expensive back then - and so does my dad, but never in a million years would we ever imagine that we're holding about $10,000 worth of food in a medium-sized bag. I had those caviars until I'm sick of it.These days, I eat caviar all the time, but not Beluga, of course - just those Swedish lumpfish caviar would suffice - however, the last time I had expensive caviar was a Russian Sevruga in Bellamy's in London in 2004.BTW, I made my own blini following a recipe by 'HRH' Delia Smith. LOL.

73. Louche absinthe-> Yes. Been fantasizing to drink Absinthe ever since I watched Moulin Rouge in 2001, but I was in Singapore back then (good luck finding Absinthe in Singapore, let alone the ones with high thujone content). After watching Jude law and Susan Sarandon sipping Louche Absinthe in the film Alfie (2004), I finally resolved to try some. Luckily it isn't that hard to get Absinthe in Sydney, although I don't know whether the one I had is the good stuff or not (there are various types of Absinthe).

74. Gjetost, or brunost

75. Roadkill-> What????

76. Baijiu-> Sure. My late grandfather (from my mother's side) loved baijiu. I stole some when I was a kid (It seems that I stole a LOT of alcohol when I was a kid, it's a wonder I didn't become an alcoholic - in fact, I hardly drink alcohol except for wines now)

82. Eggs Benedict-> One of my two favorite breakfast. Only dare to eat these once or twice a month because it's too rich. The other favorite would be crisp, flaky, freshly-baked croissants with butter.

84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.-> No...not at a three-Michelin star restaurant. The closest I've had was a degustation at Nobu in NYC, and if I'm not mistaken, it's a one-Michelin-star restaurant.

85. Kobe beef-> Don't call yourself a Japanophile when you haven't had Kobe beef. Better still, I've had the Matsuzaka beef which trumps even the Kobe beef. First time I had Kobe Beef was at Angus Japanese steakhouse in BRI Tower, Jakarta back in the early nineties. Even back then, it costed IDR 400,000 (USD 180 according to current exchange rate at that time) for a 400gr kobe beef steak. I wonder how much they charge nowadays. Last time I had Kobe beef was in Hong Kong, 2006 at The Marco Polo hotel in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

86. Hare-> Does rabbit count? I guess not...heehee.

87. Goulash-> Yes. I've cooked goulash myself as well.

88. Flowers-> Yes!! I had some edible flowers when I was in my boarding High School. I know one of the gardeners in the school complex very well, and he grew lots of edible flowers like violets and lilacs - mostly for supplying the school kitchen. To think of it, my high school was really really posh! Edible flower salad for lunch? Geez.

89. Horse-> I wouldn't dare.

90. Criollo chocolate-> Not 100% sure, but HIGHLY likely. Especially during my Godiva Chocolate craze in Singapore a few years back - when I made it a point to taste as many varieties of their stuff as possible.

92. Soft shell crab-> I didn't like it. I don't see what's so delicious about it. Borderline weird.

93. Rose harissa

94. Catfish-> Very common in Indonesia. My favorite is the pecel lele (deep-fried catfish with chilli paste). Very makanan rakyat (common folks' food).

95. Mole poblano

96. Bagel and lox-> Yes - again, in NYC. Had lots of wonderful NYC treats when I was there - hotdogs, falafels, bagel and lox, Reuben Sandwich, Pastrami...all the good stuff.

97. Lobster Thermidor-> The most memorable one would be onboard Singapore Airlines Business Class in 2001 (back then it was called the Raffles Class). Why memorable? Because it SUCKS. Look, I have faith in SIA food, they're almost always excellent, but for some reason my lobster thermidor was mushy and wet at that time. Probably it's a one-off error, but I have yet to taste another lobster thermidor onboard SIA. I don't have lobster thermidor that often, but the nicest one I've had is probably at a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles (forgot the name).

98. Polenta-> Yes - but not specifically by itself. I think I had a grilled fish and polenta at Prego in Fairmont Hotel Singapore.

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee-> I'm terribly surprised, but YES I've had this before! Bought it from a jihanki (vending machine) in Tokyo! I think the brand was Kirin or Suntory Boss!

It was around that time when I brought my mom's expensive full tea service & tea set plus fancy finger food (including caviar on toast points) plus liquors (I believe I brought a cinzano) to SCHOOL?? for our family picnic??? Eh? Eh? Remember??

LOL was that STUPID or what!!!!! I remembered everyone was watching and shaking their heads in disbelief!!

Hmm yes, plantain is technically different from our banana. Here they serve fried plantains at some restaurants. They also sell plantains at groceries so you can just make one yourself to cross it off the list hehe..

Roadkill is exactly what it sounds. Something you might find on your front tire haha. It's a hillbilly joke, back when they still hunt to survive or something? I doubt anybody dare to eat that anymore. They usually just leave it on the road or drag it to the side. I have witnessed quite a few roadkills ever since I moved here. Mostly squirels. Poor, stupid squirels.

I just don't like PB in general. Unless when I turn it into peanut sauce for my makeshift gado2 hehe

Yes I remember that time we had a picnic haha. I think it was for Easter wasn't it? You brought eggs too hihihi. I think the rest of the kids were more curious than perplexed.

Which Michael was that?

Yeah, I suppose Texas has its share of fatty food. Actually it's the most obese state in this country, I believe. Horror! Blame it on the plethora of steakhouses, BBQ shacks, Tex-Mex, cajun (infiltrated from Louisiana), and the junkfood chain they build every other blocks.

Oh, and good news for you- I came to enjoy steak after I live here for a while. Though I still suck at eating. Last time I went to a steak restaurant, I was more gravitated towards the salad (they had fresh tomatoes!). Hahaha.. Remember when I became a vegetarian for 9 months? LOL.

I believe your exact reason for vegetarianism was "cows are cute, how could I eat them..."

Ngomong2, you loved cows, didn't you. I specifically remembered a cow-themed top you wore during that particular occasion in Le Crystal, know what I mean?? (I'm trying to be as vague as possible since this is such a public place)!! LOL

There's a time when I was actually worried sick about you - I thought you became anorexic or something. The fact that you still suck at eating now really worries me again!

Michael - you don't know him. He is a childhood pal - he used to live a few houses away from my house. He's American-Chinese. Gosh, we were so geeky back then. We listen to Mendelssohn and talk about fine arts and royalties. I was such an Anglophile (and Japanophile, too) back then. Now I don't know what I am. LOL

I remembered we used to have this 'royalty quiz' - with lighting round questions such as "Name Princess Anne's first horse!" and "What is the official title of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh?". It was soooo stupid! We even collect royal souvenirs like The queen's Jubilee plates and stuff!

...and my grandma also collects those royal memorabilia, right - one day I brought Michael to my grandma's place and showed him her collection....he was so excited he screamed like a little girl...and I was so proud of my grandma! OMG, we were really something else. I mean, none of the people my age I knew back then were into the same stuff. We were like...old grannies!!

We even re-enacted the funeral of Princess Di after I special-ordered the BBC funeral recording CD from the UK! Sang all the songs like "I vow to thee, my country" and the Requiems, arias...LOL LOL

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